In the parking lot in Skjeggedal, tourists are dressed in turquoise around an overview map. They are going on an overnight trip with a guide to Trolltunga. One of the tourists is American Deborah Claymon Boeschen. – Now we are ready for an overnight trip to Trolltunga. We have been waiting a long time to come here, she says. TROLLTUNGA NEXT: American Deborah Claymon Boeschen is ready for a guided tour to Trolltunga with accommodation. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Can be a record season For the tourism industry in Hardanger, the forecasts look very promising. – It could be a record summer in Hardanger, says Andreas Skogseth in Visit Hardangerfjord. According to Statistics Norway, in 2019 there were approximately 600,000 commercial guest nights in the Hardanger region. After the pandemic, war in Europe and cost week, there is great uncertainty before this year’s season for the tourism industry in Hardanger. In particular, it has been uncertain whether Norwegians would continue to holiday in Norway and whether the foreign tourists would return as before the pandemic. At that time, foreigners made up about half of the tourists in Hardanger. – But now it looks like we get many of both the Norwegian and foreign tourists, says Skogseth. 30 GUIDES: Trolltunga Active has added 30 guides this year to receive the many tourists to Hardanger. Photo: Tale Hauso / news Norwegians want to holiday in Norway A recent survey from NHO Reiseliv shows that many more Norwegians will holiday in Norway this summer (66 per cent), compared with before the pandemic (58 per cent in 2019). – Before the pandemic, the majority answered that if they had to choose Norway or abroad, they would choose abroad, but now more answer that they want to go on holiday in Norway, says Merete Habberstad, communications director NHO Reiseliv. And among Norwegians, it is Vestland that reigns supreme as the most popular holiday county this year. 23 percent plan a vacation here. This is followed by Agder (17 per cent) and Vestfold and Telemark (17 per cent). Nevertheless, Northern Norway is the region most people would have chosen if they were to travel to one county in 2022. 16 per cent would then have chosen Nordland. Photo: Sondre Skjelvik From the various tourism industries in Norway, there is great optimism for the summer months. 17 percent answer that they actually have a better order level now compared to a normal year. 38 percent say that it is unchanged or the same as a normal year. 26 percent who answer that it is worse. – We think it is gratifying that the order numbers are so high, and extra large this year many stadar, says Habberstad. He added that the war and the pandemic “always play a role in speech”, and that the markets in Asia and the USA lagged behind. Double effect Jostein Soldal owns the activity company Trolltunga Active, which among other things offers guided tours to Trolltunga, in addition to the Trolltunga Hotel in Odda. He thinks it will be the season of all time. Last year, the hotel lit 10.5 million kroner for the entire season. In mid-May this year, pre-bookings were already higher than last year’s result. For Trolltunga Active, they had 4,500 guests on tour in the record year 2019, but this year it looks like 6,000 will join. – It looks like Norwegians will travel to Norway. At the same time as the foreign tourists who were going on a trip in 2020 and 2021 now have gathered and are coming this year. So we get a double effect with both Norwegians and foreign tourists, says Soldal. SMILES WIDE: Jostein Soldal in Trolltunga Active can smile broadly and is ready for this year’s season. Photo: Tale Hauso / news
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– We get a double effect – news Vestland
